Why are Employees Burning Out?

Balance in work is not better time management, but better boundary management. Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices. — Betsy Jacobson

Many issues face leaders today, none bigger than employee burnout and losing people as a result. It's a challenge that leaders and managers are dealing with on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, most of us as leaders struggle to deal with these issues because up until the last five years, we haven't had to deal with it much, and certainly not on the level in today's workplace.

Here are a few things to consider to better care for your people.

Encourage a Healthy Work-Life Balance.

A healthy work-life balance means achieving a balance that effectively juggles time and energy between work responsibilities and personal commitments.

It's about creating clear boundaries and limitations that enable your people to meet their work objectives without sacrificing their personal lives, health, or well-being.

A leader who wants his people to have a healthy work-life balance recognizes that work and personal life are equally important and require attention, time, and resources to avoid burnout and maintain happiness and fulfillment.

How can you help?

1. Lead by example; practice good self-care, take your vacations, exercise, stick to a regular work schedule, and encourage your employees to do the same.

2. Set realistic expectations for what employees accomplish in a day and allow them to set a realistic work schedule that meets those goals.

3. Communicate project timelines and provide flexibility in their work schedule.

4. Promote taking a lunch break and encourage small breaks during the day.

5. Avoid after-hours communication except for emergencies.

6. Be empathetic and understanding of their personal and professional situations.

Showing flexibility and compassion towards the people on your team goes a long way in creating a happier and more engaged workforce.

Recognize and Reward Employees' Hard Work

The best way to recognize and reward your employees is to provide regular and specific feedback on their performance.

Rewarding employees' hard work is one of the best ways to motivate, encourage, and engage your team members.

1. Be specific when recognizing their hard work. Be clear about the area in which they did a great job.

2. Recognize them publicly in front of the team; this creates confidence and motivates them and others.

3. Offer and provide training opportunities on skills that add value to them, the team, and the company.

5. Offer time off to recognize and reward employees for their hard work.

6. Celebrating individual and team success is a great way to motivate your people.

Every employee responds differently to recognition. Some prefer public praise; others prefer personal touches like handwritten thank-you notes. Consider each of your people and provide personalized recognition that encourages, motivates, and engages them.

Provide Professional Development Opportunities.

It's critical that you and your organization support the growth and development of your team members. The best way for an employer and leaders to provide professional development opportunities is to assess employees' needs, determine appropriate training or development, make resources available, encourage self-driven learning, and make it a regular part of the company culture.

1. Set down with your employees and develop goals that align with their career aspirations and the organization's needs.

2. Provide educational and learning resources such as industry events, online courses, books, and workshops.

3. Assign experienced employees as mentors or coaches to offer team members guidance, advice, and support.

4. Encourage your people to participate in team-building events outside of work, community events, and attend industry conferences to meet other professionals.

5. Conduct in-house training on the latest industry practices, new software, and business practices that support growth and development.

6. Provide regular feedback on their progress and performance to motivate and help identify areas of development.

Make training a regular part of the company culture to prioritize professional development. Build it into the annual performance review process and regularly track progress towards their development goals.

Foster a Positive Work Culture.

It's imperative that, as the leader, you promote a positive work culture that fosters teamwork, collaboration, and recognition. Your people are likelier to be engaged and motivated when they feel valued and heard.

1. A positive workplace culture helps build an environment where employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated to contribute to the company's goals.

2. Employees with a positive workplace experience are more satisfied and less likely to leave.

3. A positive work culture promotes a sense of commitment toward the workplace, encouraging employees to be more productive.

5. Companies with a positive work culture attract and retain top talent.

6. A positive workplace culture plays a vital role in shaping employee perception of the company as well as reflecting positively on the company's reputation and branding.

A positive work culture encourages open communication, transparency, and honesty in difficult but necessary conversations, reducing employee conflicts.

It creates an environment where people feel supported, cared for, and productive and attracts like-minded people.

Provide Regular Feedback.

Regular feedback means employees can remain invested and focused on their work and adjust expectations to suit their role, which helps create healthy communication among employees and their managers.

1. Regular feedback allows team members to learn and grow while correcting mistakes and strengthening behavior.

2. Positive feedback gives team members recognition and appreciation, boosting morale and increasing motivation.

3. Purposeful feedback enables employee growth towards personal and career development while creating ownership in the leader's and company's vision and mission.

4. Giving regular feedback helps your people understand their work responsibilities and how they fit into the business's success, reducing misunderstandings and unclear expectations.

Regular feedback is essential in your leadership role because it helps improve individual and team performance, builds stronger relationships, and creates success inside the team for everyone to see.

Conclusion

Burnout occurs when passionate and committed people become deeply disillusioned with their job or career that they previously found meaning, purpose, and identity.

Burnout occurs when the things that once inspired passion and enthusiasm are stripped away and replaced with tedious, meaningless, and mindless work.

The antidote to employee burnout is not less work or fewer hours. It's about creating meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in their work and career.